Mobile app roundup: Google victorious, malware fines and Because We May

Google victorious in Oracle patent suit — After months of legal dealings, a jury has ruled Google did not violate Oracle’s Java patents in the development of its Android operating system, the Verge reports.

Social networking ties with gaming for smartphone usage — Mobile analytics company Flurry is reporting that consumers now spend the same amount of time using social networking apps as they do playing games — 24 minutes a day.

Dev fined for Android scam apps — The BBC is reporting a Latvian developer, which released fake versions of Angry Birds and Cut the Rope that set up users to receive unsolicited premium rate SMS messages, has been fined £50,000. It’s the first time a mobile company has been fined for a scam.

Because We May strikes back for dev pricing rights — Indie developers like 2D Boy, Kittehface Software, Rubicon, Capybara Games and Two Tribes (to name a few) have discounted their games as part of an initiative called Because We May. The idea is a protest against online stores that set prices for games without developer consent.

Activision opening U.K. mobile game studio — Gamasutra is reporting Activision has hired industry veteran Martyn Brown to set up a new mobile gaming studio in the U.K.

Google redesigns iPhone search app — Hot on the heels of its Google+ app redesign, the internet giant overhauled the look of its iPhone search app.

Moshi Monsters coming to GREE’s gaming platform — Mind Candy is the latest developer to sign up for GREE’s new global mobile-social gaming platform. The company will release two Moshi Monsters games on GREE’s platform in Q4 2012.

PayPal grows mobile payment business with ShopKeep, ERPLY partnerships — Merchants using ShopKeep’s iPad point of sale systems can now take payments from shoppers who have synced their PayPal app with the store’s POS. PayPal has also set up a deal with ERPLY that allows users to pay via check-in. Both systems will require merchants to confirm the customer’s face and name with a photo from PayPal’s records.

ShareCompat makes it easier to share content from Android phones to Google+ — Google has introduced a new tool for developers who wish enable content sharing from mobile apps to Google+, the ShareCompat Library. All shared items include attribution to the original app.

Mobile malware grows by 1200 percent in Q1 — According to computer security firm McAfee’s Quarterly Threat Report, the amount of mobile malware continues to grow. The firm reported it had found 1200 percent more malware during Q1, most of which targeted Android smartphones and tablets.

HTML5 runs 8x faster on desktop than on mobile — Spaceport.io’s latest PerfMarks Report show that HTML5 runs six times slower on an iPhone 4S than it does on a laptop. The highest performing Android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S2 ran HTML5 10 times slower. Overall, smartphones ran HTML5 889 times slower than an average laptop.

Zynga promotes Zombie Swipeout with “real” zombies — Zynga unleashed 80 actors in Zombie costumes on San Francisco and New York to promote its upcoming game, Zombie Swipeout.

Madagascar 3 coming to Draw Something — Draw Something’s about to get an influx of content tied to Dreamworks Animation’s upcoming film Madagascar 3. The movie hits theaters in two weeks, and Draw Something will promote the game with special terms and video clips. This is the third time Dreamworks has advertised in a Zynga game; the previous times Zynga promoted Megamind and Kung Fu Panda 2 in its titles.

Inside the mind of mobile dev Amanda Wixted — Business Insider has posted a feature-length interview with Amanda Wixted, Zynga’s first mobile employee.

[Funding] Firebase grabs $1.1 million in funding — Real-time app infrastructure developer Firebase has raised $1.1 million in funding, according to TechCrunch. The round was lead by Flybridge Capital Partners.

[Funding] Kony Solutions raises $15 million — Enterprise app development platform Kony Solutions has closed a $15 million Series C round. It was lead by Insight Venture Partners.

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